Aeroplane.



s. s. YARRINGTON.

ABROPLANE.

APPLICATION FILED JAN.14, 1910. 983, 192. Patented Jan.31, 1911.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

a ZH

@um nu! S. S. YARRINGTON.

AEROPLANB.

APPLICATION FILED JAN.14. 1910.

1 Patented Jan. 31, 1911.

3 SHEETS-SHEET Z.

S. S. YARRINGTON.

AEROPLANB.

APPLICATION FILED JAN.14, 1910.

Patented `121.11.31, 1911.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

Snom/Lto@ SAMUEL s. YARRINGTON, or WILMINGTON, DELAWARE.

.AEROPLAN E.

Specification o f Letters latent.

Patented Jan. 31, 1911.

Application filed January 14, 1910. SeriaINo. 538,056.

To all whom 'it may concern:

' Be it known that I, SAMUEL S. YARRING Ton, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Tilmingtoln in the county of Newcastle and State ofDelaware, have invented new and useful Improvements in Aeroplanes, ofwhich the following is a specification.

This invention relates to heavier-than-air flying machines of thecombined aeroplane and helicopter type, the object of the inventionbeing to yprovide a machine including a novel construction and relativearrangement of supporting planes and forward driving and liftingPropellers, whereby the machine may be positively lifted to any desiredelevation and then driven ahead, and the speed of descent regulated atwill.

A further object is to provide a strong and durable construction ofmachine which will have ample sustaining powers and in which the liftingpropeller will be arranged so that in operation it will establish abalancing action to increase the stability of the machine.

'Vith these and other objects in View, the invention consists of thefeatures of construction, combination and arrangement of partshereinafter fully described and claimed, reference being had to theaccon1- panying drawing, in which Figure l is a top plan View of aily-in machine embodying my invention; Fig. is a side elevation of thesaine. Fig. 3 is vert-i al transverse section on the line 2l of Fig. 9.Fig. 4 is a vertical longitudinal section through the central portion ofthe frame and bearing for the shaft of the lifting propeller. Fig. 5 isa view partially in side elevation and partially in vertical section ofthe frame of the, lifting, pro peller.y Fig. 6 is a horizontal sectionon the line G-6 of Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is a detail plan View of the upper endof the lifting propeller shaft and the crown portion of the propellerframe. Fig. 8 is a plan view of a portion of one of the blades of thelifting propeller. Fig. 9 is a cross section on the line 9*-9 -of Fig.S. Figs. l0, 1l and 12 are views of the bearing elements for the liftingpropeller shaft.

Referring to the. drawings, l designates the main frame of the machine,which is in the form of. an oblong rectangular cage extending in a foreand aft direction and comprising in its construction upper and lowerpairs of angle metal bars .2 and 3, the

bars of each pair being connected by cross pieces f1 and the bars of theopposite pairs by uprights or stanchions 5. The stanchiens at each sideare connected with each other and with the frame by crossed guys orbracing strands 6 of wire or other suitable material, and the centralportion of the frame is similarly eonnectedwith the front and rearstanchions vat each side by crossed `uys or bracing stands 7 thustrussingthe rame in each side to secure the requisite strength andrigidity.

The end stanchions of the main frame eX- tend above and below the same,their lower portions forming supporting legs 8 terminating in outwardlyand rearwardly bent or curved feet 9 which serve as skids or runners tosupport the machi-ne upon the ground in alighting and attaining aninitial speed for flight, and to serve as yielding bumpers to yield andabsorb shocks in making a descent.

Arranged above the main frame at the front and rear thereof aresupporting planes l() and 1l extending longitudinally in a directiontransversely of the `frame and to the line of flight, each of whichcomprises parallel longitudinal frame bars 12 connected by cross pieces13 and supported from the frame by stanchions 15, thc front stanchionsot' thejlront plane and the rear stanchions ol the rear plane beingpreferably formed by the upward extensions ot the front and rearstanehions of the main frame, the. frame structure of each plane beingreinforced by crossed braces 16, as shown. Stretched across the framestructure of each plane is a body of fabric 17 composed of silk or othersuitable material. Horizontal and vertical rudders 1S and 19 are pivotedor otherwise movably mounted at the rear of the main frame to enable themachine to be horizontally and vertically steered.` These rudders may becontrolled by suitable operating connection in the usual manner. l

The central portion of the main frame, which is designed to support themotor, avi atoi-"sl seat and 'operating devices for controlling theseveral parts, is reinforced by opposite longitudinal pairs of angleiron bars 2.0 and :2l and pairs of angle iron transverse bars E22 and 23connecting the upper and lower pairsV of bars 2O and Q1, the upperhorizontal flanges ofthe bars 22 forming a support for a bearing plate2l, as

v ing plate 28, the meeting faces -of the plates 25 and 28 beingchanneled to provide an annular raceway for a series of anti-frictionbearing balls 29. The lower angle iron cross -bars 23 support astationary bearing plate 25 having a recess 27 in its upper face tovreceive a rotary bearing plate 28, the meeting faces of said platesbeing annularly grooved to provide a plurality of raceways for thereception of anti-friction bearing balls 29. Disposed between the bars23 above the plate 25 and overhanging the outer edge of the plate 28 isa retaining ring 30 which holds the plate 28 from upward movement and isfastened to the bars 23 and plate 25 by bolts 31.` The meeting faces ofthe rotary bearing plate and retaining ring are grooved to form araceway for anti-friction bearing balls 30, allowing said rotary bearingplates to have free movement with a minimum degree of friction.

Extending through the upper bearing plates is a vertical shaft 32 towhich the plate 28 is fixed in any suitable manner,thc lower end of saidshaft being seated in a socket in the plate 28 and secured thereto by aset screw 33. This shaft, which may be driven in any suitable mannerfrom the motor, projects above the top of the frame between the planesl0 and 1l and carries at its upper end a lifting propeller 34. Thepropeller 34 embodies in its construction a skeleton frame 35 having itsupper and lower ends tapering in substantially the form of hollow conesarranged in apposition and terminating in collars 3G and 37 betweenwhich extends a central core or tube 38. The upper collar 36 is providedwith a key 39 entering a groove 40 in the upper end of the shaft and thesleeve 38 is provided with one or morel set screws 41 to impinge againstthe shaft, whereby the frame is Xed to the shaft to rotate therewith andyet may be` slidably removed therefrom when occasion requires. Thelower'collar 37 rests upon the bearing plate 24 to firmly support andstay the upper extended end of the shaft so that it will sustain theweight of the propeller and the strain fa'lling thereon. Theintermediate portion of the propeller frame is in the formof an annularbody 42 provided with a series of radial bearing sleeves or collars 43having toothed outer surfaces 44,

and inclosed by said annular bearing portion is an annular series ofangular lugs 43a radiating from the sleeve 38 and arranged opposite thecollars 43.

The propeller blades 45, any number of .which may be employed, are ofsubstantially openings in the sets of collars 43 and lugs' 45 and areretained from outward displacement by nuts 50 applied to their innerthreaded ends and engaging the inner faces of the upturned portions ofthe lugs. The coupling members 47 of the respective blades are adaptedto interlock with the teeth or notches 44 of the collars 43 and to beheld in engagement therewith by the nuts 50, so that said blades ma)v bedisposed and held at any desired pitch or angle to the horizontal toobtain the desired lifting effect. rl`he outer ends of the frame bars 45of the blades are connected with the upper and lower portions of theframe by guy rods 51, by whichthey are braced and s ustained againstdeflection. Through suitable gearing and clutch mechanism, propeller 34may be thrown into and out of connection with tht` motor shaft at anytime, whereby it may be employed to raise the machine in startingit inflight or to lift it to any desired elevation while in flight, orutilized to regulate the speed of descent of the machine -in alighting,in which lastnamed operation the propeller may be rotated at a low rateof speed. The rotation of the propeller 34 also establishes a gyroscopicaction, tending to maintain the balance and increase the stability ofthe machine.

For forward propulsion a propeller 52 is provided at the front of themachine Vand mounted upon a horizontal shaft 53 journal'ed in theforward portion of the frame, which shaft may be driven in practice byany suitable type of gearing from the motor, the devices controlling thepropellers, motor and vertical and horizontal rudders being arranged ator near the center of the machine within convenient reach of theaviyator so that all of the operating elements remains stationary, whilethe propeller 52 is coupled to the motor to drive the machine forwardly.The machine will then be sustained in flight by the reactions of the airupon the planes 1.0 and 11. When it is desired to descend, the propeller52 is stopped and the propeller 34 driven at a reduced rate of speed toadapt a machine to come slowly to the ground. It will thus be seen thata type of machine is provided which not only obv viates the necessity ofemploying a launching apparatus, but may be elevated in a -.straghtupward direction at will and allowed to descend easily and insuringcomplete control.

1. A flying machine comprising a frame, front and rear Supportingsurfaces carried gradually, thus f'by the frame,'.a shaft extendingupwardly through the frame at a point between said supporting surfaces,a propeller frame carried by sald shaft, locking devices upon said'propeller frame, and a series of liftlng propeller blades arrangedaround the propeller frame, the said blades being axially adjustable tolie at--diiferent angles 'and provided with interlocking devices toengage the locking devices upon the propeller frame. 2. A flying machinecomprising a frame,

front and rear supporting surfaces carried by the frame, asha'ftextending vertically upward through vthe :frame between said supportingsur-faces, a skeleton frame mounted upon the -upper endV of said shaft,said frame being provided with an inner 'series of perforated lugs andan outer series of toothed collars, an annular series of propellerblades provided with stems journaled in said collars for the lugs andhaving locking members to engage and interlock with the teeth of theouter lugs, whereby they may be adjusted to lie at different angles, and-nuts upon the inner ends of the stems to hold the same against endwisemovement.

3. A flying machinecoinprising a frame including parallel' pairs ofupper and lower frame bars, superposed front and rear supportingsurfaces carried by said frame, supports carried by the upper and lowerframe bars, each consisting of longitudinal and transverse angle bars,stationary rectanguf lar bearing plates fitted between the angle bars ofthe respective supports, a shaft extending vertically through saidbearing plates, a propeller mounted upon the upper end of said shaftbetween the supporting surfaces, rotary bearing plates carried by SAMUELs. YARRINGTON Witnesses: v

HARRY P. JosLrN, ELLIS W. YARRINGTON.

